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Qualified mental retardation professional education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a qualified mental retardation professional. Qualified mental retardation professionals usually study psychology, social work, or sociology. 78% of qualified mental retardation professionals hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,931 real qualified mental retardation professional resumes to see exactly what qualified mental retardation professional education sections show.

The most common colleges for qualified mental retardation professionals are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online qualified mental retardation professional courses to help get the education required to be a qualified mental retardation professional.

There are certain qualified mental retardation professional certifications that you should consider. These qualified mental retardation professional certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).

What education do you need to become a qualified mental retardation professional?

What degree do you need to be a qualified mental retardation professional?

The most common degree for qualified mental retardation professionals is bachelor's degree, with 78% of qualified mental retardation professionals earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 78%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a qualified mental retardation professional?

You should major in psychology to become a qualified mental retardation professional. 32% of qualified mental retardation professionals major in psychology. Other common majors for a qualified mental retardation professional include social work and sociology.

Most common colleges for qualified mental retardation professionals

Qualified mental retardation professionals often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ball State University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Here are the most common colleges for qualified mental retardation professionals in the US based on their resumes.
Qualified mental retardation professional common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.82%
Ball State University8.58%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale8.21%
Eastern Illinois University7.46%
Grambling State University5.97%

Best majors for qualified mental retardation professionals

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology32.4%
2Social Work14.5%
3Sociology8.3%
4Criminal Justice5.3%
5Business4.9%

Best colleges for qualified mental retardation professionals

The best colleges for qualified mental retardation professionals are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A qualified mental retardation professional with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for qualified mental retardation professionals. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become qualified mental retardation professionals.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for qualified mental retardation professionals

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Top 10 most affordable universities for qualified mental retardation professionals

The most affordable schools for qualified mental retardation professionals are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for qualified mental retardation professionals are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for qualified mental retardation professionals.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for qualified mental retardation professionals

The hardest universities for qualified mental retardation professionals to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for qualified mental retardation professionals are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for qualified mental retardation professionals based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for qualified mental retardation professionals

The easiest schools for qualified mental retardation professionals to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a qualified mental retardation professional without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for qualified mental retardation professionals.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

10. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

Average qualified mental retardation professional salary by education level

According to our data, qualified mental retardation professionals with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $74,194 annually. Qualified mental retardation professionals with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $63,595.
Qualified mental retardation professional education levelQualified mental retardation professional salary
Master's Degree$74,194
High School Diploma or Less$51,613
Bachelor's Degree$63,595
Some College/ Associate Degree$52,204

Qualified mental retardation professional education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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